Dietary Supplements for a Healthy Heart

You may think that taking a multivitamin may be enough to keep you healthy. If your diet is a little less than complete, however, you may be missing out on some of the key nutrients that could be keeping your heart healthy. By supplementing your diet and multivitamin with some specialty supplements, you can help prevent heart disease, high blood pressure, heart attack and more.

Fish Oil (Omega 3)

Omega-3 fatty acids have been found by many studies in recent years to be essential to heart health. They have been shown in several studies to prevent heart attacks, atherosclerosis and strokes. The most common source of omega-3 fatty acids are fatty fish such as tuna and salmon. If you don't get a lot of this in your diet, fish oil or flax seed supplements are a great way to get your recommended daily dosage of omega 3. Fish oil can go bad, so be sure that you are checking the expiration date on your supplement bottle. The bottle will also direct you on dosage, although most people can take up to 3,000 milligrams of fish or flax seed oil (1,000 milligrams, three times per day). Consult with your doctor to be sure.

Hawthorn

Supplements derived from the hawthorn plant have long been used to regulate heart beat and blood pressure and help with chest pain. According to the director of the American Botanical Council, Mark Blumenthal, hawthorn improves blood flow to the heart and relaxes blood vessels. These benefits can be attributed to the antioxidants found in the plant, which are also found in grapes. According to a report in the American Journal of Medicine, hawthorn is a helpful supplement as part of the treatment for those who have suffered congestive heart failure. These supplements can be found in capsule form; the recommended dose is 160 to 900 milligrams a day, but ask your doctor what dosage is right for you.

Grape-Seed Extract

The same antioxidants that make hawthorn good for the heart also make grape-seed extract heart healthy. These antioxidants, called procyanidins, are thought to be the reason why drinking red wine (in moderation) may help prevent heart disease. Taking grape-seed extract is another way to get these heart-healthy antioxidants, which lower blood pressure, among other things, according to a study at the University of California, Davis. It is recommended that you take 200-300 milligrams of grape-seed extract per day to reap the benefits.